80 Amp Inverter Arc Welder

alsey_seven · Post by **alsey_seven** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:49 pm

guys is this a good welder need one for exhaust pipe. down pipe i got a little bit short.
http://www.harborfreight.com/80-amp-inv ... 91110.html

Post by **occasional demons** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:58 pm

That is a stick welder. Unless you are very good, it will be hell to weld thin tube. A MIG welder would be a better option, TIG would be the best option. But price increases accordingly. You could prolly get a cheap MIG flux core for about $80 to $120 more. A TIG is going to be tough to justify, unless you have alot of stuff you want to do.

alsey_seven · Post by **alsey_seven** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:00 pm

this welder right?
http://www.harborfreight.com/90-amp-flu ... 98871.html

thanks for the advice

Post by **occasional demons** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:12 pm

That will do it. It will take some practice to get it right, but won't be pretty. Flux core won't look as nice as a MIG with argon gas, but will be functional. I have a Miller Cricket, that I paid way too much for, but it does the job. It can be set up for gas shield, but I have never done it. I have welded exhaust pipe and it is still holding together to this day, but like I said, it isn't pretty. The advantage with shielding gas is you can go with smaller wire, and it has less heat. IIRC, the flux core is mainly available in .035". With thinner wire you can do thinner material easier. But the cost of a regulator, and bottle will run up the cost a good bit. For minimal use, it is tough to justify.

alsey_seven · Post by **alsey_seven** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:19 pm

thx again

Post by **occasional demons** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:25 pm

No problem!

sidepipe87 · Post by **sidepipe87** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:31 pm

I'm no expert on welders, but I kinda think when it comes to them you get what you pay for. I wouldn't want a Harbor Freight welder... I'd go for Miller or Lincoln Electric personally.

Mat00ES · Post by **Mat00ES** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:33 pm

Yea flux core is the way to go, just paint over the welds with high temp or something.

Post by **occasional demons** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:40 pm

sidepipe87 wrote:I'm no expert on welders, but I kinda think when it comes to them you get what you pay for. I wouldn't want a Harbor Freight welder... I'd go for Miller or Lincoln Electric personally.

If you only need it once a year, the HF one will do in a pinch. A month after I bought the Cricket, Miller discontinued it and started selling essentially the same thing under Millermatic for half the price. Fuckers...

alsey_seven · Post by **alsey_seven** » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:49 pm

ya picking one up tommorow just need it for exhuast pipe, also the 2k cat pipe end needs to be fixed HF will do just fine.

chaging topics whats a good resonator i should buy or will the stock r/t be good enough?

bone-yard-racing · Post by **bone-yard-racing** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 10:17 pm

sidepipe87 wrote:I'm no expert on welders, but I kinda think when it comes to them you get what you pay for. I wouldn't want a Harbor Freight welder... I'd go for Miller or Lincoln Electric personally.

Ive heard that from every welder Ive ever spoken to and in my life Ive owned two

$89 HF Flux wire for 4 years and easily 50 spools of wire with no real problems once I got a decent gun with a teflon liner

Ive now moved onto a $299 RealGear 140 I got at the local GTSweldco its 10x better than my buddies Lincoln 140 at less than half the price (RealGear consumiables are cheaper, the setup is easier, infinate voltage and wire speed control, uses less gas, better looking welds)

Id say start with the $89 HF to see if you like welding if you do go for a class at your local tech school to try the best equipment and get hooked up with a good shop.